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Descriptions & Definitions
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was held from September 5 to October 26, 1774 in Philadelphia, PA. At the time, the colonies were under the
tyrannical rule of the British Crown, headed by King George III. The purpose of this meeting was to decide, as a group, how to respond
collectively to oppressive acts against the colonists by the Crown. At the end of the meeting, the delegates petitioned the Crown with a list of
grievances. When their petition went unanswered, the stage was set for the Great American War of Independence, also known as the American
Revolutionary War.
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress convened, once again, in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775. By this time, the American Revolution had begun a
month earlier on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. It was at this meeting that this Congress
established the first official army under the leadership of George Washington, who would lead the new nation’s victorious fight for freedom.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence. The enlightened document proclaimed
independence from the Crown and marked the formation of the United States of America.
The Articles of Confederation
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777, and the states ratified them on March 1, 1781.
Often referred to as America’s first Constitution, the Articles of Confederation were largely unsuccessful as it was more an association among
states rather than a long-lasting, unifying government.
The Constitutional Convention
America’s Constitutional Convention was convened by the Framers of the Constitution on May 25, 1787 to remedy the flaws in the Articles of
Confederation. The Convention produced the United States Constitution, America’s governing document, and our Supreme Law of the Land.
Ratification of the US Constitution
The Constitution was adopted by a convention of the states on September 17, 1787. Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788, with the
necessary number of states, nine: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and
New Hampshire. By January 10, 1791, the remaining states agreed to its ratification: Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and
Vermont.
The Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were the authors of the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 articles and essays, written and
published between October 1787 and May 1788. The essays bring profound clarity to the concepts and visions our Founding Fathers’ discussed
and debated over two centuries ago – ensuring America is rooted in God-given liberties and freedoms, justice, self-governance, and
Providence. Although most of the Federalist Papers are known to be written by Madison, the fourth President of the United States and
celebrated as the Father of the Constitution, there is some indication that the men were co-authors. Federalist 51 is one of those articles.
Federalism
Federalism is a form of government that distributes powers and allocates responsibilities amongst two (or more) different levels of government.
These different levels exercise authority over the same geographic location. In America, one level of government is our federal (or national)
government and the other level is regional (or state) governments. For the most part, Articles IV and VI of our Constitution provide the
framework for the scope of each level’s power, how they may interact, and how they function together.
A Constitutional Republic System of Government
America’s system of government is a Constitutional Republic. Leaders are elected by the citizens to represent them and those representatives
are obliged to follow the Supreme Law of the Land – the Constitution. The Constitution limits the power of the government in such ways as the
establishment of the three branches of government with the checks and balances of the Separation of Powers principles while protecting the
rights of the minority from being infringed upon by the majority.
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